


pride, pomp, and circumstance

by megyal



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-24
Updated: 2007-05-24
Packaged: 2017-10-23 14:53:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/251555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megyal/pseuds/megyal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Graduation from Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pride, pomp, and circumstance

Harry climbed up to the few steps to the low stage, holding his graduation robes up a little so that he wouldn't trip over them. He felt his chin drop a little out of nervousness and he made sure to keep it up. He could feel the stares of the professors and the Headmistress boring into one side, the audience from another as he walked to the podium; idly he imagined that their eyes were like needles, boring into him until he was full of holes.

He finally stood at the finely carved podium. Each House animal of Hogwarts was carved at the corners of the top; Harry rested a hand on the griffin, taking strength from it. Then, he pressed his other palm against the snake, feeling strangely comforted.

" _Sonorous_ ," he said softly, tapping the tip of his wand against his neck and returning to his handholds. "Good afternoon." His voice rose over the still crowd, up into the sharply blue sky. It was a beautiful day and suddenly Harry felt a deep sense of grief, a sudden prickling in his eyes. There were so many who were missing. So many of them who should have been here, smiling at him in mixed sadness and joy. The crowd murmured back its response, some tacking on _Harry_ , or simply _Potter_.

"I'm glad to be here," Harry said in a low voice; people strained forward. "I thought that I wouldn't see this day. When we came back from war, I didn't want to return to Hogwarts. It seemed futile."

"Then someone reminded me what it was we had fought for. We fought for the freedom to live and love. We fought for our parents and our future children, for our friends and even our enemies. We fought for the right to graduate from this school, no matter our heritage. It would have been a foolish thing for me _not_ to return."

"I want to ask something of you," he continued, the pitch of his voice growing, eyes still downcast. He then raised his gaze and the green eyes flickered over the faces of the crowd. "I want you to remember your worth, all of you. Remember the choices you made. Remember your fight. Remember what they died for.

"Remember why you lived."

He turned abruptly and stumbled back across the stage, not really seeing where he was going. As he made his way to his seat, a slight applause started and then avalanched into a great roar. Harry sat and ducked his head, smiling.

"That was the world's shortest speech," Draco grumbled beside him. "And yet you get a standing ovation. I'm not standing. I swear, I'm not."

Harry rested a hand on his and squeezed.

:: :: ::

Harry rest back against the cool stone wall, listening to the shouts filtering inside the hall. The graduation party had started off extremely subdued until Draco had slunk onto the floor with a Ravenclaw girl and proceeded to dance to the strains of _Proud Mary_. It had been one of the funniest things to Harry, watching Draco rock with a concentrated frown; he had burst out laughing, grabbed onto the nearest person, who happened to be a protesting Neville and had sashayed across the floor.

He had never felt better. Neville had been yelling to him over the loud music, something about keeping his hands above the waist and just to be contrary, Harry had grabbed onto his ass, giving it a fine squeeze. Neville had shrieked like a banshee and galloped off towards Ginny; she promptly gave him a pinch on the bum.

After that bit of excitement, Harry had come outside, just to breathe. He was admiring the fine spray of stars when he felt a tell-tale prickle on his skin; someone was watching him. He closed his eyes and heard light footsteps coming closer. A cool hand touched the side of his face and stayed there for a minute, smelling of soap. He turned his head and kissed the palm.

"Come to my room with me," Draco said softly. His hand moved to cup Harry's chin and Harry felt the soft press of his mouth against his own dry lips. "I want _us_ to graduate, too."

"I--" Harry said and was cut off by another kiss, long and heated. "I'm not sure. Not tonight." His good mood of ten minutes ago seemed miles away. He felt nervous and pressured. Skittish. During the war, he had often felt this way and he didn't like it one bit.

Draco pulled away and gave him a long, measured look. Then he nodded, the motion clipped and cool.

"Of course. Have a good night, Harry." He turned in an admirable flutter of robes and then spun around again so fast that the material still swirled in the opposite direction before settling down. "But... remember why you lived."

"Draco," Harry started, but the blond had already swept through the double doors.

:: :: ::

Draco's room opened at the fifth of Harry's loud knocks and he peered at Harry owlishly. His clothes were wrinkled as if he had fallen asleep in them and his hair was mussed terribly. Harry thought he looked adorable.

"What-- where the _hell_ were you, Potter?" Draco said waspishly, rubbing at one eye as he stood aside to let Harry in. Harry looked about the room, the candles that were charmed not to melt floating serenely in the air. There was a bottle of wine obviously under a cooling charm. Harry smiled slowly.

"I was just walking around. Presumptuous, aren't you, Malfoy?"

"That's the only way to be," Draco retorted, albeit quietly. His eye was reddened by the rubbing and he watched carefully as Harry reached around his neck and pulled out an intricately woven silver ring from under his robes. He removed it from the chain and they both stared at it before Harry sighed and placed it on his left ring finger.

"There's no going back on this," Draco warned, managing to look hopeful as he stepped forward. "This is forever. As in, I will _kill_ you if you back out on me."

"Wow, Draco," Harry said mildly. "I would _love_ to marry you after that declaration of total and eternal happiness."

"Shut up," Draco snapped, "and tell me what I want to hear." He advanced on Harry and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, hands resting lightly. Harry rolled his eyes, starting to smile.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"I _said_ yes."

Draco kissed him deeply, dragging him back towards the screened-off bed. Harry was reduced to happy whimpers as Draco's tongue slid teasingly over his; fingers were fumbling over the buttons of his robes, popping off a few in haste. His own hands were busy pushing the dark material off Draco's shoulders as they rounded the screen, Harry stubbing his toe on Draco's trunk.

"Ow, _ow_ ," Harry moaned piteously as Draco literally wrestled him onto the bed. "Hey. Draco, listen. I'm kind of a sure thing, okay?"

"You made me wait for more than _two years_ ," Draco muttered, yanking off Harry's trousers and boxers even though Harry still had his robe on, completely open. "I nearly _died_ for you and I'd do it again, but only when we're married. Seriously. Why, hello there," Draco said warmly and bent to lick a loving stripe up Harry's eager cock; Harry arched into the heat of his mouth, groaning.

"This is the best day of my life," Draco murmured, biting Harry on the inner thigh. Harry jumped a little. "I _finally_ graduate, with top marks, by the way--"

"Yes, yes, you are the greatest, blah, blah, _blah_ ," Harry said complained breathlessly and Draco gave him another nip.

"--and after years of scheming, I manage to get Harry Potter to marry me. Life is good," he declared as he pushed Harry's legs to fold up against his chest. Harry felt just a little smug at still being fairly flexible.

"Is _that_ what that was? I thought you were trying to--- _oooh_ ," Harry breathed, squirming under that flash-cold feeling of both a cleansing and lubrication charm and then melting at the feel of Draco's tongue at his entrance. "Oh, oh. Okay."

"So verbose," Draco snickered, nuzzling Harry's balls, looking like a large evil kitten. Harry brushed his hand through that fine, pale hair and smiled down at him.

"You didn't have to remind me that you helped saved my life, you know," Harry said softly as Draco slithered up to him. "I'm grateful for that. But I wouldn't marry you out of gratitude." Draco was looking down at him, cock pressing heavy and pulsing against Harry, _into_ him; the fullness, the heat, the slick throb of him caused Harry to moan heavily. Draco's eyes were fixed on him as they rocked, a little out of sync at first, until Harry slung one leg around Draco and did everything he could think of, from licking the sweat trickling down Draco's neck, to clenching until Draco tried to kiss him into submission.

Harry was crying out hoarsely when he came, feeling Draco grab almost painfully at his hair, pulling back his head and biting at his shoulder as he spilled inside Harry.

:: :: ::

Harry inspected his ring as Draco burrowed deeper into the covers, stealing nearly all of them. He took it off and stared at it; focusing his will on the circular form, he smiled as it shimmered and a perfect copy appeared right beside it on his palm. He put one on and tugged on Draco's hand from under the sheets, slipping the other silver circlet onto Draco's ring finger, spelling it to fit properly. Then he dragged back most of the covers from Draco and snuggled up to him.

"You are why I lived," he murmured and smiled sleepily as Draco flung an arm over him and pulled him close.

fin 

**Author's Note:**

> [This is the ring](http://www.handwovenbands.com/images/in818v2.jpg) that I wanted for the story.


End file.
